The field of this invention relates to titration systems and methods for portable oxygen concentration systems.
There is a burgeoning need for home and ambulatory oxygen. Supplemental oxygen is necessary for patients suffering from lung disorders; for example, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, or occupational lung disease. For such patients, oxygen therapy is an increasingly beneficial, life-giving development. While not a cure for lung disease, supplemental oxygen increases blood oxygenation, which reverses hypoxemia. This therapy prevents long-term effects of oxygen deficiency on organ systems—in particular, the heart, brain and kidneys.
Oxygen treatment is also prescribed for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and for other ailments that weaken the respiratory system, such as heart disease and AIDS. Supplemental oxygen therapy is also prescribed for asthma and emphysema.
Portable oxygen concentrators are commercially available for providing ambulatory respiratory patients with COPD and other respiratory ailments with gaseous oxygen. A portable oxygen concentrator converts ambient air into concentrated gaseous oxygen. The portable oxygen concentrator is small and light-weight, allowing the ambulatory respiratory patient to readily use and transport the portable oxygen concentrator inside and outside the home. As a result, the respiratory patient can lead a more active lifestyle, which can improve the patient's overall health.
A typical portable oxygen concentrator delivers flow at a flow rate in units of liters per minute (lpm), which is prescribed by a doctor. A Respiratory Therapist (“RT”) titrates the patient to show that the prescription is correct. During the titration process, the patient is sitting at rest and the RT monitors the patient with a pulse oximeter to determine that the prescription elevated the patient's blood satuturation above 90%.